The process of democracy

Within the past few weeks, the citizens of the United States of America have had the opportunity to follow the election process across the 50 states and the interaction of the states with the federal government. Reports on these processes from media organizations and social media have been the main source of how people have been able to monitor these processes. However, I had two experiences since Election Day that demonstrated that being at an event or being able to observe an event live can provide much more information than the summary presented from a media organization.

The first instance was a press conference by President-Elect Joe Biden in Wilmington, Delaware. This was carried live by ABC News (where I saw it), and the experience was a breath of fresh air – indeed, a whole tank of fresh air! Kamala Harris gave an address, followed by Joe Biden. These addresses were clear and understandable. Afterwards, Joe Biden took questions from reporters. The phrase that accurately described it was “presidential”. Biden was polite and thoughtful in his replies to questions; he was honest in saying “I don’t know” when he did not know the answer; he was straightforward in explaining how he could not answer some questions as he had not been inaugurated as President, and he responded in a respectful way even when reporters were clearly tying to bait him into responding in a rash way. The experience was one that I have not seen in over four years.

The second instance was a livestream presentation of the meeting of the Michigan Board of State Canvassers held on Monday, November 23rd. I watched the initial part of this meeting via a link from the Detroit Free Press, although I found later there were other links to the Youtube live video. Through watching this livestream, I had a front-row seat to listen to the statements from the board members, testimony from the state elections director, multiple clerks and election officials, and a number of private individuals. I was impressed and proud to hear how many individuals contributed in carrying out the election in Michigan. I was disgusted to see how board member Norman Shinkle treated a number of the people giving testimony. I was impressed with how board member Aaron Van Langevelde asked questions in an attempt to make an informed decision about what actions the board should take. I was pleased with the other two board members, Jeannette Bradshaw and Julie Matuzak, and their responses to the situation. I had to invest several hours to participate in this way, but I received a richness of information that, again, was not available from any other news source.

After these experiences, I was filled with pride in the people who serve our country in the electoral process and the work of the courts in resolving disputes. I was also proud to see first-hand the President and Vice-President that will begin leading our nation in January 2021. Although my participation in this election was solely to vote, I am going to look for ways to get more involved in the political process of my city, state, and country. I encourage all citizens of the United States of America to do the same, to help in healing the divide that affects our nation.